Idaho Inlet and Inian Islands
Full moon was just a couple of days ago, and the tidal range has been greater than normal the past few days. This morning when we stepped ashore at Fox Creek in Idaho Inlet, the wet, low-tide beach was bigger than ever before. Kayakers set out towards Shaw Island, while walkers headed towards the forest. Some of us didn’t go anywhere – we simply kneeled down and investigated the salty, wet mud and stones at our feet. There were snail eggs on pieces of stranded algae, and little invertebrates wiggling beneath the rocks.
The forest had many surprises: large footprints in the moss and vegetation where generations of brown bears have walked. We also found huge bear claw scratches on several trees. Where the sticky sap ran down the bark, bits of bear fur stuck to it.
During lunch we traveled to the west, through Mosquito Pass and the Inian Islands. The area here is a bottleneck for water and marine wildlife entering the Inside Passage. Strong currents created patterns on the sea surface just like those one might see in a fast-moving river. After the ship was safely anchored out of the main current, we boarded Zodiacs for tours among the life-filled islands.
Steller sea lions swam and leapt and chased salmon in the fast-moving water. Occasionally a gull got lucky and flew off with a leftover piece of fish. Bald eagles perched on rocks and trees, waiting for fish scraps. Dozens of sea lions were hauled out on a large, rocky islet, roaring and grumbling to one another. Just beyond the haulout was the open Pacific Ocean. An occasional sea otter was seen in the safety of a calmer cove.
We returned to the east, to Icy Strait, and these waters teemed with life as well. Seals, sea lions and harbor porpoises surfaced here and there, while seabirds such as fulmars, murres, and red-necked phalaropes were abundant. When a parasitic jaeger harassed the small phalaropes, thousands of the smaller birds flew from the predator synchronously. The birds were ‘schooling’ just as fish do near a predator! As Captain’s Farewell Cocktail Hour began, two humpback whales swam slowly and lazily next to the ship.
Full moon was just a couple of days ago, and the tidal range has been greater than normal the past few days. This morning when we stepped ashore at Fox Creek in Idaho Inlet, the wet, low-tide beach was bigger than ever before. Kayakers set out towards Shaw Island, while walkers headed towards the forest. Some of us didn’t go anywhere – we simply kneeled down and investigated the salty, wet mud and stones at our feet. There were snail eggs on pieces of stranded algae, and little invertebrates wiggling beneath the rocks.
The forest had many surprises: large footprints in the moss and vegetation where generations of brown bears have walked. We also found huge bear claw scratches on several trees. Where the sticky sap ran down the bark, bits of bear fur stuck to it.
During lunch we traveled to the west, through Mosquito Pass and the Inian Islands. The area here is a bottleneck for water and marine wildlife entering the Inside Passage. Strong currents created patterns on the sea surface just like those one might see in a fast-moving river. After the ship was safely anchored out of the main current, we boarded Zodiacs for tours among the life-filled islands.
Steller sea lions swam and leapt and chased salmon in the fast-moving water. Occasionally a gull got lucky and flew off with a leftover piece of fish. Bald eagles perched on rocks and trees, waiting for fish scraps. Dozens of sea lions were hauled out on a large, rocky islet, roaring and grumbling to one another. Just beyond the haulout was the open Pacific Ocean. An occasional sea otter was seen in the safety of a calmer cove.
We returned to the east, to Icy Strait, and these waters teemed with life as well. Seals, sea lions and harbor porpoises surfaced here and there, while seabirds such as fulmars, murres, and red-necked phalaropes were abundant. When a parasitic jaeger harassed the small phalaropes, thousands of the smaller birds flew from the predator synchronously. The birds were ‘schooling’ just as fish do near a predator! As Captain’s Farewell Cocktail Hour began, two humpback whales swam slowly and lazily next to the ship.
